Gillian Taylforth, 69, reveals the secrets to her ageless looks as she puts on a very glamorous display for stunning Prima cover shoot
The EastEnders star, 69, posed up a storm in an array of sophisticated outfits and discussed her skincare and beauty regime while appearing as Prima's cover star.
She revealed that she only maintains her self-care for herself and gave an insight into her fitness regime and her top tips for maintaining a glowing complexion.
'It's very nice if people say lovely comments about how I look, but I don't do it for anyone other than myself,' she told the publication.
'Self-care helps me feel good about myself. I am getting older, and I do notice changes, but for me, I just want to maintain my appearance for as long as can.
'And if it all falls flat very soon, there's not much I could do about it.'
The EastEnders star, 69, posed up a storm in an array of sophisticated outfits and discussed her skincare and beauty regime while appearing as Prima's cover star
Gillian, who is best-known for playing Kathy Beale on the BBC soap, revealed she is 'meticulous' with her skincare and keeps fit in her home gym.
Though her busy schedule means she can't always keep to her regime, Gillian has even gone to the length of getting a treadmill in her dressing room to keep active.
'I always fill my water bottle with different fruits. Every morning, I have hot water and lemon and a detox tea bag,' she revealed.
'I'm disciplined with what I eat, but I don't deny myself and I'm meticulous with my skincare. I also love keeping fit.
'I have a gym at home, but my schedule sometimes means I'm up at 5am, so I can't always make it work.
'But I feel very lethargic if I don't do anything, so I have weights and a treadmill in my dressing room, so I can do a quick workout.'
In 2015, Gillian opted for a 'non-surgical face lift' ahead of her 60th birthday and was treated by Dr Aamer Khan at the Harley Street Skin Clinic.
She opted for procedure which uses dissolvable polylactic acid thread to remove wrinkles, which costs around £2,000 and takes about half an hour.
The thread is used to give a tailor-made result, lifting specific parts of the face.
In the interview, the actress described EastEnders as her 'favourite' place to work and said she was thrilled when she made her bombshell return in 2015 despite being presumed dead.
'EastEnders has always been in my heart, because that's where I feel I became who I am. This wonderful character, Kathy, was always a big part of me,' she gushed.
Gillian said she has very strong relationships with the cast and sweetly revealed her on-screen son Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) even calls her 'mum' off-screen.
We've got a close bond – he can see if I've forgotten my lines, and he'll say them to remind me,' she said.
'The moment we reunited when Kathy came back, there were tears everywhere–it was a magical moment.'
Gillian's character Kathy is one of the soap's longest-running characters, having graced the screen since the very first episode in 1985.
She was first written out in 1998 when Gillian decided to quit, but made several short-lived returns until Kathy was eventually killed off in a car crash abroad in 2006.
However, she was invited back for the 30th anniversary episodes in a shock return as it emerged she had faked her own death in a major plot twist.
Gillian has remained a staple of the BBC soap opera ever since and still features as the formidable Kathy four decades after first joining the show.
The August 2025 issue of Prima is now on sale.
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